WILMINGTON,Mass. (February 17, 2015) – Back by popular demand, fans will meet up at one oft he largest celebrations of popular culture in New England, the Northeast Comic Con and Collectibles Extravaganza. This Father’s Day weekend event takes place Saturday June 20 and Sunday June 21, 2015 at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, Mass. (99 Fordham Road). Show hours are 10a-6p on Saturday and 10AM – 5PM until Sunday.

This year’s event features a 40,000 sq. ft. entertainment experience for all nerds and the people who love them. Highlights include cosplay for all ages with “Create-A-Hero/Villain/Character” contests and a Cosplay Death Match and Cosplay Dating Game, free-play video game arcade and tournaments, workshops for K!DZ, and celebrity autograph signings and panel sessions. Guests can shop at 150 vendors of vintage and modern toys, comic books, collectibles, art, jewelry, fashion and pop cultural artifacts. In between Father’s Day shopping, guests of all ages will enjoy music, contests and entertainment to marvel at between sessions and booths.

This summer show’s Guest of Honor is Adam West, best known as TV’s original Batman (1966-1968) on the 50th Bat-niversary of the filming of the first episodes, and he is now on Family Guy.

The summer show’s Artist Guest of Honor is Jim Steranko, best known for co-creating the 1960s superspy comic book Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel Comics’ Strange Tales, Captain America, Daredevil, The Avengers and others. Steranko is currently consulting on the current TV series, “Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” More celebrities, artists, authors, illustrators and panelists will be announced shortly.

Kids are invited to the NECC K!DZ area, with creative events and attractions just for young fans. Learn how to craft stories and sketch with Eplis Comics author and artist Emily Drouin, among other kids’ activities.

The Shriner’s Auditorium Fez Room restaurant/bar will come alive with delicious and affordable food and beverages, live entertainment, and pop culture trivia contests.

According to seasoned show producer Gary Sohmers, “Northeast Comic Con offers the best of all worlds to fans of contemporary and retro pop culture. Whether you bring your dad (or son) for Father’s Day, feel like spending the Summer Solstice with friends and other fans, or are pop culture collector, this Comic Con has something for everyone: the new or avid collector, the video game junkie, the cosplayer,budding illustrators and writers, anime and manga followers, or geeks of all ages.”

Sohmers is CEO of Image Meet and Greet, a Boston area pop culture expert serving the industry with fan events and convention for 30 years. Also known for his role as an appraiser of toys, collectibles and pop culture for 13 seasons on the PBS TV program “Antiques Roadshow,” Sohmers and business partner/techexpert Deric Shea are dedicated to providing the public with an affordable, safe, family-friendly and well-organized two-day convention experience. This event features expedited entry for pre-sale ticket purchases.

Northeast Comic Con invites all new and veteran cosplayers to enjoy the art of cosplay in a safe, harassment-free environment. Enjoy contests and games or simply enjoy people watching. A complete list of safety guidelines and rules for cosplay and prop weapons may be found at NortheastComicCon.net.

With free parking, Northeast Comic Con admission ticket prices are among the lowest in the industry. Advanced tickets are now available for purchase online; ticket prices will be higher at the door. Children under 7 are free when accompanied by an adult.

Vendor and artists spaces are still available for dealers who sell pop-culture items, antique and collectible toys, authentic memorabilia, accoutrements of the nerd or geek lifestyle, anime and animation artwork and toys, comic books and art.

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Animation artistsBryan Konietzko and Phil Rynda speak at the Rhode Island School of Design on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at 7:30pm!

Press Release:

The Illustration Department is very pleased to announce a joint talk by award-winning artists Bryan Konietzko and Phil Rynda. The lecture is free and open to the general public, though seating is limited, so please arrive early!

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Bryan Konietzko will give a slide lecture at RISD’s Main Auditorium on Wednesday, February 4th, at 7:30pm. He will discuss the artwork and development that went into the five-year production of Legend of Korra, as well as provide advice for getting into and thriving within the animation industry.

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Phil Rynda will talk about his career in animation as well as his character design process. Specifically Phil will talk about how and why he puts “character” and personality before design. He will show examples from his own work as well as other examples. All to be followed by an open Q+A.

Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman take a twisted look at showbiz news and bite the Hollywood hand that feeds them. Sometimes, they feel bad and give Hollywood a tetanus shot and some Neosporin, but, even then, they usually just turn around and bite Hollywood’s other hand. They can’t help it. It’s their nature. It’s like that “scorpion and frog” story. But, deep down, they’re just two nice East Coast boys… who happen to have a heavy dependence on drugs and alcohol, respectively.

Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith, (the co-hosts of the wildly-popular podcast, HOLLYWOOD BABBLE-ON), present a LIVE performance of their best-selling comic book, BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET at the Hollywood Improv on Friday, December 12, 2014 at 8:00 PM!

The comic book comes to life as Ralph and Kevin provide the voices, music, and sound effects, while the audience gets to follow along as each page is projected up on the big screen. The result is a funny and entertaining take on the classic 60’s Batman series, as TV’s Batman and Robin cross paths with the TV’s Green Hornet and Kato!

Audience members are often recruited to come up on stage and add their own voice talents to the show, and everyone who attends gets a special collectible edition of the comic book, signed by Ralph and Kevin!

Join Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Sunday June 1st at 7:00 pm for the “Batman ’66 meets The Green Hornet” Comic Book Kickoff event. BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET is written by Kevin and Ralph and follows in the footsteps of the 1960s TV series when Batman, Robin, The Green Hornet, and Kato made television history by teaming up for a momentous crossover event.

This event will feature Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman doing a LIVE PODCAST as they record FATMAN ON BATMAN. The event will take place inside the Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Hollywood Cars” space featuring the original Black Beauty and Batcycle.

ALL TICKETHOLDERS WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED COPY OF BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET!

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.